Personal injury attorney Michael Leizerman has dedicated his career to defending victims of truck-related accidents. He has represented clients in courtrooms across the country, including in Pennsylvania, and attorneys nationwide regularly seek his guidance in trying cases involving truck accidents.
When he isn't in court, Michael is often lecturing legal organizations on various truck accident trial strategies, a practice that has helped him earn a reputation as one of the leading truck accident attorneys in the United States.
Or contact me online. All information is kept confidential. I will not accept a case in a state where I'm not ethically permitted under the circumstances.
Last month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released safety data from 2011, including the following: One-third of truck occupant fatalities occurred when occupant was not wearing a seatbelt; 64% of large truck fatal crashes occurred on rural roads; … [Read more]
Read more >Citing violations such as hiring drivers who hadn’t received their commercial driver’s license, and employing drivers who didn’t pass drug and alcohol tests, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently idled 26 bus operations that serviced passengers on Interstate 95 … [Read more]
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I am honored that West Thompson—the world’s largest publisher of legal books—asked me to write this multi-volume book on truck accident law in 2004. I had already begun the project for my own reference. My book includes the federal regulations that are the same in each state for interstate tractor-trailer crashes, as well as state law that differs in areas, like whether there are monetary limits or “caps” in the lawsuit, whether you can receive punitive damages, and the varying technical requirements for filing a lawsuit.
I have handled cases across the country. I am licensed in several states, and have local counsel in many states who I trust and work with closely. Select your state to learn more:
Pennsylvania boasts an extensive interstate system that carries an endless parade of trucks to urban areas such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Those freeways also serve as conduits to connect the upper East Coast with destinations nationwide. And truck traffic on the thousands of miles of two-lane highways impacts the daily travels of Pennsylvania motorists statewide. Every year, more than 4,000 people are injured or killed in a truck accident on Pennsylvania roadways. If you or a family member is suffering from a truck-related accident, contact Michael for a free consultation and take the first step toward ensuring that you receive maximum compensation for your loss.
I regularly engage in continuing legal education presentations around the country, including the following events in or near Pennsylvania:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (Title 49, Parts 350-399) govern all vehicles engaged in interstate traffic.
There are some situations where a tractor-trailer or other commercial motor vehicle is involved in only intrastate travel. For example, an appliance store in Reading may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Safety has adopted Title 49, Parts 382, 383, 384, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, and 399 of the federal regulations.
For an overview of laws that affect trucks operating only in Pennsylvania, visit our Pennsylvania Trucking Laws page.
Your truck accident case may be larger than you think. My experience often enables me to maximize awards, well beyond what the co-counsel originally expected. My book Litigating Truck Accident Cases, published by West Publishing, is considered the definitive work on handling truck accident cases. Contact me if you are seeking co-counsel on your case.
Fatal Truck Accidents: 213 per year
Non-Fatal Truck Accidents: 4,156 per year
Accident Locales: 72%(Rural), 27%(Urban)
Carrier Fact: 32% of Pennsylvania's truck accidents involve carriers whose principle place of business is not Pennsylvania.
In 71% of Pennsylvania's truck accidents, weather conditions were NOT a factor.
Interstate 70: Spanning America from Utah to Baltimore, I-70 travels 2,175 miles including 175 miles in the state of Pennsylvania where it intersects with I-79 in Washington and I-76 in New Stanton.
Interstate 76: The eastern I-76 (there is another I-76 in the western U.S.) spends 358 miles in Pennsylvania where it intersects I-79 near Pittsburgh, I-83 in Harrisburg and I-95 in Philadelphia as well as several smaller cities along its way.
Interstate 78: This 144-mile route with an eastern terminus in Jersey City, New Jersey and a western one in Bordnersville, Pennsylvania spends 78 miles in Pennsylvania where it connects Allentown and Newark among others.
Interstate 79: I-79's 187 Pennsylvania miles are a major link to Buffalo, New York and the Canadian border.
Interstate 80: Among its 2,909 miles spanning San Francisco to New Jersey, 314 of I-80 are in Pennsylvania. It intersects at I-79 in Pardoe and passes through Scranton and Williamsport along its way.
Interstate 81: A north/south route from Tennessee to the Canadian border, I-81 spends 234 of its 824 miles in Pennsylvania where it passes through or near Carlisle, Harrisburg, Bordnersville, St Johns and Scranton.
Interstate 83: 48 of I-83's total 85 miles are contained within Pennsylvania including the city of Harrisburg, its northern terminus.
Interstate 84: From Sturbridge, Massachusetts to Scranton, Pennsylvania, I-84 runs 243 miles and spends 55 of those in Pennsylvania.
Interstate 90: On its 3,100-mile journey from Seattle to Boston, I-90 spends 47 miles in Pennsylvania including the city of Erie.
Interstate 95: Running from Florida to Maine, I-95 spends 58 of its nearly 2,000 miles in Pennsylvania connecting with I-76 in Philadelphia.
Interstate 99: Contained entirely within the state of Pennsylvania, I-99 runs 58 miles from to Bald Eagle.
